


Adai

by geewritessometimes



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alien Culture, Dancing, Established Relationship, Force-Sensitive Finn (Star Wars), If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Magical trees, Yavin 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 17:15:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21431833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geewritessometimes/pseuds/geewritessometimes
Summary: Poe brings Finn to Yavin 4 to participate in a traditional Yavinite festival.(Alternatively, an excuse to write about Poe Dameron's hips.)
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 11
Kudos: 174





	Adai

**Author's Note:**

> Okay yes, I know Yavin 4 was historically uninhabited after the Sith enslaved and eradicated all the Massassi, but just... imagine. Free your mind. Break the chains. A species of human, Yavinites, descended from the Massassi. Shara Bey and Kes Dameron being ethnically Yavinite. Just imagine. The potential for cool alien customs and culture, developed and refined over thousands of years. Unspeakable. 
> 
> And if you don't give a patootie about adhering to established Star Wars lore, then just enjoy!

“Here’s your outfit.” Poe tosses him a scrap of rich, deep blue fabric. It’s very soft and finely woven, and a beautiful color, but there’s… not much of it. 

“Is this… it?” Finn asks tentatively, not wanting to offend. 

Poe just laughs. “Yup. Tradition. You’ll like it, you’ll see.” Poe strips off his pants and underwear with no fanfare and tugs his on with a few practiced shimmies of his hips. Somehow it doesn’t look wrong on him at all; it’s a deep blue wrap skirt-thing which sits low and snug on his hips, low enough to display the curve of his hipbones. The color plays against his bronze skin so beautifully that Finn can’t imagine why he ever questioned it to begin with. Of course Yavin 4’s traditional male dress would be a blue miniskirt. It’s enticing- the skirt is wrapped in a way that allows for a slit up the left thigh. The sight of it makes Finn bite his lip, even more than the sight of a naked Poe just a few moments before (he’s still getting used to that). 

“This isn’t even everything, buddy.” Poe says with a wink. Finn must have stared too long. “Put yours on.” 

Finn awkwardly strips, pauses at his underwear, and then removes that too when Poe insists. He pulls the wrap on. The color is less striking against his own skin, kind of just fades away, but Poe seems pleased. 

“Oh, Finn. Look how gorgeous you are!” 

Finn waves it off with an embarrassed hand. Poe comes over and starts adjusting it, pulling it down an inch or two and sliding it to the left. When he tugs it hard enough to reveal the beginnings of Finn’s pubic hair though, Finn yelps and swats him away. Poe laughs as Finn hurries to re-cover himself. 

“You gotta show off the hips! That’s the whole point!” Poe’s having entirely too much fun. “Okay, come over here. I’ll put the paint on you, show you where it goes. Then you can do me!” Poe pulls him over to sit down on the bed, which they shared last night after arriving on Yavin 4. It’s just an old mattress and some blankets on the floor of the loft of Kes Dameron’s small house, and Finn silently thanks the Force that Poe’s father is out tending the garden right now and not witness to all this. When Finn sits down, everything under the skirt is on full display, and there are no walls around the loft, just a wood banister. Poe settles beside him, legs tucked modestly underneath himself (he’s clearly got more practice in this outfit), and produces a tin of blue paint and a black strip of cloth. Finn watches, fascinated, as he dips the underside of the cloth into the paint. He coats the whole thing, and then gestures for Finn to extend his arm. He carefully wraps it around Finn’s bicep, makes sure it lines up on either side, and squeezes. When he pulls the cloth away, it leaves a perfect blue band all the way around Finn’s arm. He does Finn’s other arm, and then takes his face in his hands. 

“Last part.” he whispers with a grin. He takes his pinky finger and dips the pad of it in the paint and dabs four dots in a diamond onto the center of Finn’s forehead. “Alright, all done. Now you get to do me.” 

Finn doesn’t feel confident, but he does his best to copy Poe’s movements and make the blue bands even. As he works, Poe rambles. 

“Ancient Yavinites, post-Massassi, believed blue to be a holy color. I mean, it’s the color of water, and the sky. That’s why we wear it at all our festivals. The clothes for, like, Temple Week, are a lot more modest than these ones though. Because Adai is basically a fertility festival, we dress a lot more… hrm.” Poe smirks. 

“You told me this was a social holiday!” Finn exclaims. He hadn’t known his fertility would be subject to examination or trial! 

“I mean, it is. A social holiday-dance party-fertility thing. Adai is basically the day that ancient Yavinites all got together and determined who they wanted to make babies, or just love, with. And you choose your partner through dancing. That’s why the outfits are designed like this. Guys wear these wraps really low on their hips so that they can show off their moves. The womens’ skirts are also low. Because you dance with your hips, you know, that’s how you communicate. You also want your natural scent to be as free as possible, so you don’t cover it up. These arm bands signify that you’re um… sexually mature, for lack of a better phrase! And the four dots on the forehead…” Poe pauses to kiss Finn’s nose. “Signify that you’re taken. You’ve already selected a mate and bound your heart to theirs. No one will hit on you if you’ve got this painted on you.” 

Finn smiles. “Oh I’m definitely giving you some, then. Don’t want anyone stepping into my territory.” 

“Yup! Essentially, everything about the outfit is designed to communicate to everyone else who you are and what you’re looking for. Certain dance moves also communicate to the crowd what you want, if you know what I mean.”

Finn doesn’t, but he just focuses on making the four dots on Poe’s forehead neat. He sticks his tongue out a little as he concentrates. 

“It’s just a fun holiday. You get to go back to your animalistic roots, ya know? Just express yourself and your desires in the most natural way possible, and celebrate human connection.” 

Finn nods, although he’s a little intimidated. 

“Ready to go?”

Finn nods again. 

  
  


The Adai festival takes place at the Great Temple, which is a long hovercraft ride into the jungle. Finn hasn’t gotten around to learning how to fly or drive anything yet what with how busy the General and Resistance Intelligence keeps him on D’Qar, so he sits behind Poe, who drives. It’s Kes’ speeder; he’s letting them borrow it as he sits the evening out. Poe tried to coax him into coming (“You gotta get out more, Dada! Mama’s probably watching from the Force rolling her eyes at how boring you’ve become!”), but he wouldn’t budge (“I’ve had my fun, now leave this old man in peace, boy!”). The numerous framed photographs of Shara Bey around the house tell Finn that Kes Dameron isn’t really interested in “getting back out there” as they say, so he stays out of it. 

Now they’re flying through the dense trees at a speed that makes Finn’s palms sweat, especially considering how dark it’s getting. He knows Poe is the best pilot in the Resistance, and maybe even the galaxy, but the breakneck way he’s weaving through the trees just can’t be safe. The only thing keeping him from screaming bloody murder at every turn and dip is the soothing smell of the jungle whirring by. This is his first excursion into a planet of this climate, and he’s finding it really beautiful. The air is thick with humidity and the rich smell of black soil, rain, and plants. All sorts of bird calls echo through the jungle; it feels so alive. It’s so vast too- the jungle stretches on and on and on; Poe says they’d sooner run out of fuel than ever reach the other side. It makes Finn wonder if Poe ever feels trapped on the Resistance base, no humidity or wildlife or space to roam. Probably, if the way he’s always itching for another mission is any indication. 

Music is already thundering when they get to the Temple. The entire thing is lit with blue paper lanterns strung along every consecutive storey, rivalling the stars in their beauty. Streams of more blue lanterns guide participants into the Temple through the main entrance. They make the whole thing glow with an otherworldly light, so illuminated that it paints all the surrounding trees blue. The music is unlike anything Finn’s ever heard (which admittedly isn’t much). There are drums, and some wailing instruments that sound vaguely technological but clearly aren’t, and a singer wailing right along with them. The lyrics aren’t in Basic, they’re in what must be Yavinic. Finn doesn’t think he’s even physiologically capable of producing some of the sounds that the singer is making. He’s heard Poe make them sometimes when speaking to his father in Yavinic; back-of-the-throat  _ ahs  _ and  _ qahs  _ and a lot of  _ sh’s.  _

They get down off the cruiser and share a look. Poe is visibly excited and Finn is probably visibly nervous. Poe takes his hand and tugs gently. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll have fun! Everyone is so excited to meet you!”

It doesn’t reassure Finn, who would rather melt into the background and be noticed by no one. He makes a weird  _ hrng  _ sound in response, and then he’s being dragged towards the grand, towering Temple entrance. He wonders absently what he’s gotten himself into. When he was still a stormtrooper, he could never in his wildest dreams have imagined he’d someday be wearing a skirt, going to a fertility festival in an ancient temple in the Outer Rim. Funny how life works. 

They get inside and it’s even more breathtaking than the outside. There are, of course, thousands of blue lanterns lining the sloping walls of the pyramidal interior. Ever-flowing water runs in a circuit that surrounds the entire room, its channel carved into the floor and lit up blue by inlaid lights. Glowing blue insects buzz around overhead all the way up to the very apex of the ceiling. The acoustics are incredible, and Finn is reminded a little guiltily of some of General Hux’s speeches and their remarkable carrying power. The music here reverberates all around the room, so that no matter where you stand, you can hear it just as clearly as if you were right next to the band. 

The large crowd, all dressed in royal blue, is mostly crowded in a messy ring around the very center of the Temple, where a pair of Yavinites are dancing. It’s two women, wearing the same wrap skirt but also a band of blue fabric around their breasts. They both have blue bands on their biceps, but no dots on their foreheads. They dance side-by-side, almost entirely with their hips. Finn can’t believe his eyes; it’s like they don’t have spines, the way their hips slide and rotate independently of the rest of their bodies. The crowd cheers frequently as they dance along to the music. It’s like a marathon, the way they change their movements every time the music shifts, never stopping. Finn feels very, very intimidated.

Poe must notice, because he moves them off to the side near some tables and squeezes Finn’s hand reassuringly. 

“You don’t have to get in there and dance, don’t worry. You can just watch, no one will be upset or offended.” 

Poe can’t keep himself from the center of the circle for long, though (always gotta be the center of attention, Finn thinks affectionately). Almost immediately he spots an old childhood friend in the crowd, a girl named Shadara, and they give each other knowing looks when the song stops and a new, punchy one starts up. After a goodbye kiss to Finn’s cheek, he and Shadara step out into the center, and the crowd roars and claps. They must both be popular, Finn thinks. They take their places side-by-side and start moving in sync to the music. 

If Finn thought he was amazed by the first two girls he saw dancing, it doesn’t hold a candle to the way he feels watching Poe. He can’t tear his eyes from Poe’s hips- they’re bouncing and swirling and shifting and shaking like waves of an ocean. Sometimes he’ll crouch into the rolls of his hips, thighs bending, and his skirt will creep upwards. Finn wants to run over and simultaneously pull it down and push it up further. He’s suddenly deeply grateful for the four dots on Poe’s forehead, because he’s certain that anyone with eyes will be instantly seduced by the vision of Poe’s sinuous body. It’s just as graceful as his X-Wing when he flies. 

Someone taps Finn on the shoulder. He turns and sees a girl that Poe pointed out to him earlier, another old friend, but he can’t recall her name for the life of him. She looks a lot like Poe, like everyone else. They all have Poe’s curly black hair, bronze skin, and wide hips. 

“You’re Finn, right?” she asks. 

“O-Oh. What-” 

She extends a hand. “I’m Qala. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Finn. You already knew that.” he replied awkwardly, shaking her offered hand. 

She laughs. “Yup. Poe talks about you all the time. Never hear the end of it. Are you having fun?”

“Uh yeah, yeah, definitely. Hrm.” Finn clears his throat. 

Qala laughs again. “That’s okay, it’s a little overwhelming at first. I didn’t like Adai the first couple of years after I was old enough to go, either. But that was mostly because the guy I had a crush on always picked someone else at the end of the night, even after all my obvious hints.” She sighs, shaking her head. “But, it’s really a magical night. You have to just let everything go- all your responsibilities, all your fears, all your worries, all your expectations. Just let ‘em all go and replace them with love. When you let go and let the Force move you, everything just falls into place. You know…” 

She leans in with a conspiratorial air. Finn’s eyebrows shoot up and he leans in too, curious.

“There are stories of people wandering into the jungle at the end of the night and experiencing some really magical things.” 

“Like what?” Finn’s eyes are as big as dinner plates. 

“There’s this old dude, Kekko, who swears up and down that when he was young, he went into the forest one year after Adai and saw a spirit playing a flute and moving through the trees. He approached it and, well, long story short… They uh… Canoodled. It’s gross to think about ‘cuz he’s so old now, but he swears it’s true. I also heard of this one couple who couldn’t go home and, ‘ya know,  _ do it,  _ ‘cuz their parents were there, and so they went into the jungle instead. They found this glowing blue river, and when they both got in, it transformed them into birds. They didn’t change back until sunrise. There are also all the classic stories of couples melting into water after consummating the night, you know, the standard stuff. Parents always warn their kids,  _ Don’t tell lies, otherwise you’ll turn to water on your first Adai night.”  _

“That really happens?” Finn exclaims.

“Well, it’s just a legend. I’ve never heard of it happening to anyone I know, but anything is possible on Adai.” 

“Have you ever seen anything magical?” Finn asks. 

Qala smirks. “Besides my husband’s abs? No, sorry. I wish. Some people think that only soulmates experience the really cool shit on Adai night. Something about the Force resonating with their harmony.” 

They continue to talk as the night goes on. Qala’s husband is off-world, and she’s not interested in dancing without him, so she and Finn find an easy camaraderie. He learns that she works locally as a potter, and her husband acts as her distributor, taking her wares to markets on other planets. They want to have a baby soon. She met Poe at school when they were kids, and she always let him copy her homework because he never did his. He tells her about his stormtrooper past, how he met Poe, and ended up with the Resistance. He tells her about how he now works with General Organa’s Intelligence team and sometimes gives seminars on First Order stormtrooper combat techniques to Resistance troops. Just like with Poe, he finds it easy to be honest. Everyone on Yavin 4 has been so real, so honest with him, that it feels completely natural. After a while, he’s much more relaxed, and beginning to understand Qala’s point that to enjoy Adai, one must let go. He’s naturally very disciplined, he grew up in the military after all, but the Adai mood is beginning to infect him. He doesn’t feel so uncomfortably exposed in his skirt anymore. He starts bouncing his right leg to the beat of the music. 

Qala must notice, because she smiles wryly. “You should go find Poe. I bet he’s missing you by now.” 

“You know, I think I might. But it’s been real nice talking to you. Thank you.” He means it. 

“Anytime. Glad I finally got to meet the famous Finn. Have a good Adai- and remember to  _ let go _ !” she calls after him. 

Finn’s not certain where Poe’s gotten to since Qala approached him, but he’s got a pretty good guess. He finds him where he expects to- in the center of the crowd, although not dancing this time. Finn comes up behind him and slides a hand around his waist and kisses his cheek. Poe jumps, and then when he sees who it is, he beams. He spins around and hugs Finn. 

“I was worried you’d never come over!” 

“You and me both. I was talking to Qala.” 

Poe smiles even bigger. “Oh, I love Qala. I hope she didn’t tell you too much about kid-Poe.” 

“Nah. Just that you apparently never did your homework.”

“Yeah, I copied hers most of the time. I spent all my free time in whatever ship or cruiser we had in the shed, no time for that shit. Too busy getting into trouble.” 

“You wouldn’t have lasted a day in the First Order.” Finn remarks, though it’s full of affection. “She actually helped me find some confidence.” His voice gets more serious. 

Poe smiles knowingly. “Yeah, she’s good at helping you see what you need to see, even when you don’t know you need to see it.”

“Mm. Hurry up and dance with me before I lose it again.” Finn says back. 

Poe is more than eager to dance, and they soon find themselves deep within the crowd, facing each other, close, moving together. Finn is painfully awkward at first, but he resolutely shuts out his embarrassment and just focuses on copying what Poe’s doing. He must pick it up quickly, this dancing with one’s hips and core thing, because Poe’s eyebrows shoot up and he looks delighted after Finn manages a decent minute or two of it. It helps even more when the lights dim and the music gets louder and most everyone else crowds around them on the dance floor. Finn lets the music flow through him, intoxicate him. He feels alive, full of emotion and passion. He swears he can feel the life-force of everyone around them, thrumming as one entity, relinquishing all anxiety and celebrating love. It feels amazing. 

His confidence bubbles over and soon he’s sliding a hand around Poe’s waist and dragging him closer. They’re close enough that they have to slot their half-bent thighs together like a zipper and every time they roll their hips, their bare stomachs touch. Poe’s getting really into it now that Finn is gung-ho; his eyes are closed, mouth slightly open, head tilted back a little, grinding on Finn like it’s what he was made for. He looks orgasmic. Maybe it’s the magic of the night, but Finn can almost taste his desire. On autopilot, Finn plants both hands on his swaying hips and takes control, dragging Poe’s lower body into his with purpose, rocking them together like waves. Poe is basically riding his right thigh at this point. Poe gasps and grasps Finn’s forearms for balance. He’s now looking at Finn through half-lidded eyes.

“Fuck, Finn.” he breathes. “I want you so bad.” 

Finn pulls him closer still, so they’re chest-to-chest, and puts his lips right up against Poe’s ear. “I want you too.” 

It seems Poe’s had enough of dancing, because he suddenly pulls away, seizes Finn’s hand, and drags him through the crowd towards the exit.

They bypass the speeder and take off into the jungle, laughing breathlessly. Poe’s hand is warm and trusting in his, letting himself be led, even though he definitely knows the terrain better than Finn. Finn’s just following his instincts, which is probably a dumb idea when traipsing through a jungle in the middle of the night, but he feels detached from logic for once in his life. Somehow, he knows everything will be alright. 

They run through the trees for a while, jumping over branches and roots, getting streaks of cool dew all across their legs and arms and soft dirt all over their bare feet. Eventually they stop to catch their breath and Poe runs up from behind and jumps on Finn’s back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and snuggling close. Finn laughs some more, bending a little under his weight. 

“Where are we going, fearless leader?” Poe whispers in his ear. 

“Dunno yet. I’ll know when we get there.” Finn replies. 

“Lead on, then.” 

Poe’s easy trust in him makes Finn’s throat tighten a little. They continue further, slower than before, side-by-side. Soon, blue fireflies start appearing in the moonlight, drifting through the trees like cottonwood seeds. Finn points them out to Poe, and one comes down and lands on his extended finger. It’s warm to the touch, like touching a lit lightbulb. Poe’s eyes are wide and glittering. It flies away when they start walking again, but more and more appear overhead the farther they go. Something in Finn pulls him onwards, a sense that something incredible is just around the bend. 

“Almost there.” he murmurs to Poe. 

They come to a low overhang, draped in moss, which is just high enough that they can’t see over it. Finn climbs up first and then offers a hand to Poe to pull him up after. When they turn, Finn’s heart thuds. It’s what was calling to him.

It’s a massive tree with long, sweeping branches like a weeping willow. Around it are clouded millions of fireflies, casting the entire clearing it’s standing in in blue. Blanketing the ground all around it are delicate blue flowers shaped like tiny bells. From the break in the canopy overhead comes the light of the full moon. Somehow Finn knows the spot is special, can just feel it. Poe must have an inkling too, because his jaw is hanging open. 

They stare for a long time, until Finn gently takes Poe’s hand. He tugs, and Poe follows him forward, towards the tree. They wade through the flowers and under the hanging branches until they’re ensconced in the tree’s shade, and it’s not unlike the grand interior of the Temple. Finn places a hand, the one not holding Poe’s, against the trunk of the tree. He swears he can feel its heartbeat, its life force, thrumming under his palm. Then, he’s distracted by a touch to his cheek. He turns back to Poe, who’s staring at him like he hung the moon.

“I can’t believe how in love with you I am.” Poe says quietly. 

There’s nothing to do then but kiss him. 

They make love under the tree while fireflies quietly buzz nearby. It’s messy, and passionate, and Finn feels like he’s drowning in emotion, in love for Poe, in love for life, in peace. Poe’s in his lap while he kneels in the moss, holding onto his shoulders and gasping in his right ear. For a brief moment, everything feels right in the universe, and at first he thinks maybe he’s just being a sap, but when they both come, the whole tree glows with an inner light and the willow branches grow before their very eyes until they’re sweeping the ground. They stare in amazement while they catch their breath. They stare for a good long while, until Poe falls backwards onto the ground, taking Finn with him with the arms he’s got wound around Finn’s shoulders. He kisses Finn softly. 

“Happy Adai, Finn.” he whispers. 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Love Will Help You Heal](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22087615) by [AphroditesTummyRolls](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AphroditesTummyRolls/pseuds/AphroditesTummyRolls)


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